Merry Go Round
by Jini
Summary: Collection of stories centering mostly on Natsu, Lisana and Happy. Inspired by episode 20. Ch 3 - Where one is jealous and the other is oblivious. Misunderstandings make the world go ‘round. Natsu/Lisana.
1. Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter summary: Even Natsu has his doubts about fatherhood. Fortunately for him, she was always there to remind him of his reasons.

Author Notes: Not really my first Fairy Tail fic, but definitely the first I've decided to upload here. Episode 20 was the epitome of cuteness. I just couldn't resist writing about Natsu, Lisana and baby Happy together. I just adore their family dynamics, so I've decided to make a collection of short stories about them :3

The title of the collections was inspired by the second ending: **Tsuioku Merry-Go-Round **by **Onelifecrew**.

Some feedback would be nice! Enjoy~

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**(Merry-Go-Round)**

**Keeper**

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Natsu watched, a touch fascinated and a touch out of place, while Lisana fed Happy, who was propped on a small wooden chair with a bib around his neck.

It'd been half a year since Happy's birth and it was still a bit challenging to look after him, especially when Natsu hardly knew anything about babies, much less knew how to raise one.

There were many things he didn't understand; like how babies couldn't eat large portions of food all the time (he'd practically dropped a whole fish onto Happy's tiny plate and was promptly berated by nearly everyone in the guild) and how they needed more sleep than the average person (like the time he spent the whole day playing with Happy and when the kitten wouldn't wake up the next day, it'd nearly given him a heart attack).

Luckily, Lisana always seemed to know what to do.

She had become an almost frequent visitor in his household; helping feed Happy, washing him and putting him to sleep—she had even taken to looking after _him_ too, although Natsu didn't know when that started happening. She'd clean out his apartment for him on the days he was away, made his bed for him when he would have otherwise left it in its unkempt condition, washed and pressed all his clothes, and there was always something left for him to eat. Natsu didn't know why she did it, but he had never been more grateful to have someone like her in his life.

At the present moment, Happy was busy gurgling his food and all the contents kept dripping from his open mouth and onto, well, everywhere.

Lisana just dabbed the napkin on him and then picked up the spoon for another bite, unfazed.

"Say, 'ahhh'—"Happy did as he was told, and Lisana cooed, affectionately, "That's my good little boy."

And that was another thing about Lisana—lately, she had taken to calling Happy 'her little one' or 'baby' and sometimes, on very rare occasions she thought he wasn't paying attention or was asleep, he heard her whisper, "my son".

It was as though she really saw herself as Happy's mother.

Natsu couldn't help but think Lisana would be a wonderful mother one day. She was always so kind and caring; so very patient and understanding. Natsu, more often than naught, wondered how she could put up with someone like _him_—so wild and out of control—personally, he couldn't see himself as a father… not even a surrogate one.

He regularly did the wrong things; always made the obvious mistakes… sometimes he acted without thinking them through first. The last thing he wanted was to mess things up for Happy—to let him down.

"Hey."

Natsu looked up and Lisana was standing in front of him.

"What's wrong?"

Natsu promptly looked away, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the way she was staring at him. "Nothing," he mumbled, trying to sound casual and indifferent about it.

She made a small humming sound at the back of her throat, which suspiciously sounded a lot like a laugh. "Then why don't you help me feed him?" she suggested.

"The last time I tried to spoon-feed him, I got sardines all over my scarf," he pointed out, still not looking at her.

Lisana frowned and poked him on the cheek. "Hey," she said again, this time her voice had changed. She sounded concerned. "What's the matter?"

"I already told you, didn't I?" he said, "It's nothing—and stop doing that, Lisana," he growled when she wouldn't stop poking him.

"Hmmm… that's not like you," she said, tilting her head to the side, "you're always so eager to be around Happy."

He turned around. "I am—"

"Then why are you over here rather than over there?" she said, gesturing to where Happy was seated.

Natsu made a disgruntled noise and looked away again, arms folded.

He heard Lisana sigh and walk away. He resisted the urge to turn around and grab her back, but the mixture of pride and guilt prevented him from doing so.

"Well, since you won't go to him, he'll just come to you," said Lisana, who had come back with little Happy in her arms.

Just as he saw him, Happy's eyes instantly lit up and he raised his little paws in the air, signaling for Natsu to pick him up and carry him. By instinct, Natsu felt his hand twitch—felt that urge to lift Happy in his arms and hold him—but remembering why he shouldn't, he, very reluctantly, placed his hand back down.

Lisana seemed to have noticed his odd behavior and raised a brow at him. In her arms, Happy became fussier. When Natsu wouldn't pick him up, Happy started whining—a sound that meant he was on the brink of wailing.

Natsu felt torn. Lisana, once again, took matters into her own hands.

"Honestly," she said with an exasperated roll of her eyes, "here."

He barely had time to protest as she deposited Happy onto his lap. The little blue cat immediately stilled and stared up at Natsu, who, helplessly, stared back. He quickly looked at Lisana for signs of help—looking uncharacteristically nervous for once, but she merely smiled at him as if she knew (and Natsu had no doubt that she likely did)… the core of all his fears and just how to ease them away.

Natsu swallowed and looked back at Happy, who kept on staring at him, wordlessly. He took a breath and then gently offered his index finger.

Happy did not hesitate to take it. Natsu felt his whole paw wrap around that one finger, none too gently he might add, but Happy's hand was small compared to his—small, delicate and in need of guidance… protection.

"You're the dad, aren't you?" said Lisana sofly as she watched the exchange.

She was right, of course. If no one would be a father to Happy then who will? He couldn't see Gray doing it, let alone Luxus or Macao. And even if they were able, Natsu didn't think he wanted them to.

He thought of Igneel, who wasn't truly his father, but had taken and raised him as his own—had stood by him, guided him by the hand and protected him.

"_If I'm the dad then I gotta protect you two, right?" _

Natsu felt the corner of his lips turn upwards into a smile. "Yeah," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "I am." To Happy, he said, "Guess you're stuck with me, little guy," he said.

As if he understood, Happy broke into a wide, opened smile. "Aye!" he squeaked.

Natsu then raised his eyes and shyly met Lisana's twinkling blue ones. "Both of you."

He watched as Lisana's eyes widened slightly and her cheeks flush an unbelievably bright shade of pink. But she looked delighted, although she was doing her best to hide it.

He would have said more if Happy's face had not bloat up and he started chalking up soggy sardines—all over Natsu's scarf.

"Aww man, not again…" Natsu complained, staring down at himself in dismay. He sighed, "Looks like we've got ourselves a handful."

"Looks like," said Lisana, grinning. "I'll go get the cloth."

As she rushed into the kitchen, Natsu picked up Happy and raised him to his face.

"Why do you always puke all over _me_ and never on your mom?" he said, surprising himself with the use of that word, but deciding that he rather liked it—rather enjoyed saying it, but most of all, thought it was suitable, considering what they were: a _family_. And making sure Lisana was still not around to hear, he murmured, "From now on, you can rely on me too, okay?" He looked at Happy and smiled. "You can rely on your dad to be there for you."

Happy merely burped and started giggling again.

_That's my boy_.


	2. Thirty Seconds Till Sunrise

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter summary: The first time a boy snuck into her room he came in through her window.

Author's note: This would not stop bugging me until I wrote it. Not exactly how I had planned, but I think it came out even better.

There's an abundance of fluff here. Also, this takes place some time when Natsu and Lisana are fourteen.

Again, feed back would be awesome.

Enjoy~

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**Thirty Seconds till Sunrise **

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Lisana came home late that night, a little wrung out from the day's events and quite eager to settle into bed. She was barely able to keep her eyes open long enough the maneuver through the darkness of her room, but she managed to make it to the edge of her closet, where she slowly disposed of all her clothes, hung them on her chair before changing into her nightgown.

Still with her eyes closed, she clambered into bed, sank tired-bones and muscles against the softness and warmth of duvet covers when she realized the mattress was … moving. A little confused at this point, Lisana opened her eyes and nearly let out a shriek to what—or rather _whom_—she found already laying there.

Without further ado, she gave the sleeper a duly smack across the chest.

"Oof!" The sleeping figure sat up abruptly, looked around the room as if he wasn't quite sure where he was before finally settling on her.

"Lis…ana?" he mumbled, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me," she said, exasperated. She crossed her arms. "The question is what are _you_ doing here? And why were you on my _bed_?"

Unfazed, Natsu yawned. "I was waiting for you. Got bored and fell asleep."

He made it sound like the most logical thing in the world. Lisana sighed and shook her head. "You're not supposed to be here. This is the _girl's_ dormitory, you know. Mira-nee is just across the room from me. If she finds out you're here, she'll—"

"Oh, relax," he said, grinning. "She won't even know I'm here."

Lisana made a face. "How did you even get in here?"

"Oh, the window," he said, pointing behind him, where streams of moonlight had seeped past the curtains and over her bed. Somehow, this did not surprise her one bit.

"Why though?" she said.

"I told you… I was waiting for you," he said.

"But," she said, this time, staring at the clock on her bedside table, "it's almost two in the morning. Couldn't have this waited till later?"

That's when Natsu's expression changed and he looked away, but Lisana had caught it. He looked like he was troubled by something and automatically, she felt the need to reach out and help him.

"Is something wrong?" she ventured carefully, although a tingle of fear crept into her heart. "Are you okay? Is Happy alright?"

"Everyone is alright," he assured her gently.

Lisana nodded, relieved. She tilted her head to the side, a tad curious now. "Then what couldn't possibly wait till later?"

He shifted in his seat, this time looking slightly embarrassed. "Well… you hardly come over any more," he muttered, causing Lisana to blink.

"Huh?"

It could just be the lighting, but Lisana could have sworn Natsu was blushing.

"You don't come over as much anymore," he repeated, making it a point not to look her in the eye.

Lisana just continued to stare. "I was busy," she replied, not knowing what else to say. "I had missions…"

"And Happy's always looking for you and keeps asking me when the next time you're coming over," he mumbled, looking down at his hands. "I get you have to work, but … Happy… we—he really misses you, you know."

Underneath those words, she could hear the unspoken, _And I miss you_ hang over them, loudly. Echoing.

It was Lisana's turn to look down at her hands as a rush of heat swarmed her face and stained cheeks; in her chest the rhythm of her heart started picking up speed—something that Natsu was getting better at doing day by day. She briefly wondered if he could hear it somehow—the loud trilling of her heart as it picked up speed each time she laid eyes on him. And with his incredible hearing, there were times when Lisana wondered just _how_ it was possible he didn't know yet… didn't know what he did to her and how she felt about him.

"O-Oh, I never realized," she murmured, biting her lip. "I'm sorry."

He immediately looked panicked. "I'm not angry or anything," he said quickly and then flushed. "I just thought, you know, it'd be nice … for Happy, if he could see you around more. I mean I'd like to see your around too—I mean, you're my friend and all and—"he went on babbling, his expression rather pained, as though he wasn't sure if he wanted to punch himself or not.

Watching him a flounder was rather adorable, especially when it was rare to see Natsu so embarrassed or shy about anything. He rarely held back his thoughts—was never afraid to speak his mind—let alone his feelings. He was blunt, carefree and lived life so freely. And for all the toughness and loudness he put on, he only went completely soft and gentle for both Happy and for her. And she was glad—was secretly pleased—that she was one of the only few who ever got to see this side of him. It made her feel a little different from all the rest of their friends; it made her feel like she was special to him somehow.

And the fact that he went out of his way to see her, had stayed up waiting for her… well, it made her happier than she'd ever been. Before she could help herself, Lisana threw her arms around him.

"Whaaa—what—I—I—" Natsu choked. "W-What are you doing, Lisana?"

Now she knew for sure Natsu was blushing; she could practically feel the burn of his face against her cheeks as she held him tighter. She pulled away slightly, but kept her arms around him; her cheeks as red as his.

"I'm just really happy," she said, breathless; smile so wide it made her cheeks hurt. But she couldn't help it.

Natsu just stared at her, and it reminded her of the fact that she was sitting in middle of her bed… with a boy… in her nightgown—a boy whom she currently had her arms around and who shouldn't really be in her room, let alone in her bed in the first place.

"Oh, sorry," she said as the full extent of her actions finally dawned on her and bashfulness and awkwardness came back to her with a vengeance. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"she moved to pull away when, out of no where, he caught her by the wrist and yanked her back to him.

And she was in his arms, taking in the musky scent of soup, earth and home from his shirt and scarf.

"Natsu, what's—"he held onto her tighter to stop her from escaping.

He propped his chin on her shoulder as he spoke, "Does this mean we'll see you more often?"

The surprise didn't last too long and she buried her face against shirt, her heart so full she thought she was going to burst. She hummed her answer softly, but he caught it, and in response, he pulled her closer.

_Yes_.

Some time in the night, they'd winded up lying against the pillows, not letting ago of one another—not that they wanted to. They didn't speak about their current arrangement nor did they acknowledge this new shift in their relationship. There was an air of comfort and sense of easiness she found in the way he held her, and she did not quite want to relinquish her hold just yet.

"I better get going," he mumbled into her hair, although he still had yet to move. "It's kinda late."

Lisana hesitated and glanced at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. It was funny… how just a couple hours ago she couldn't wait to fall asleep, and now, she couldn't imagine shutting her eyes just yet.

He shifted in her arms and out of instinct, she reacted.

"Wait," she said, gripping his shirt. "Stay." She felt her face heat up again with the way he was suddenly staring at her, but she forced herself to meet his eyes. "Stay."

She didn't know what compelled her to ask him this. He really shouldn't be here and her older sister was just across the hall.

He really shouldn't be here, but …that didn't mean she didn't want him to be.

"Just till dawn," she whispered. "Stay."

Natsu's expression softened and his eyes were unreadable.

"Okay."

No whys or no's… just okay.

She watched as he unraveled his scarf from his neck, hung it on a nearby chair and threw his shoes onto the floor. Lisana lifted the covers to let him in. It took awhile to get comfortable, but like two halves of the same whole they came together to fit just perfectly: with his arms wound around the small of her waist, drawing her to him, and her face tucked against the crook of his neck, where she inhaled the scent of soup, earth and home.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

She felt the curve of a smile form in her hair before she fell asleep. "Goodnight."


	3. When Hearts Go Blind

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter summary: Where one is jealous and the other is oblivious. Misunderstandings make the world go 'round.

Author's Note: This one took me the whole day to write and then some. I actually rewrote this fic _three_ times because it wouldn't go the way I'd planned—and it wouldn't go away either if I refused to write it. And I think that's why it turned out even longer than I'd originally intended, but it's to be expected.

Natsu's really… all over the place in this one. His thoughts and feelings are so jumbled and he's so confused. Poor guy lmao. I don't have any sympathy for him really xD But I hope I still did this justice. Feedback would be awesome!

Also, thank you to those who've been reviewing and reading my story~! I appreciate the support!

Well, enjoy!

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**When Hearts Go Blind

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**

They were together again, Natsu thought as yet another distasteful lurch occurred at the pit of his stomach; one that had nothing to do with his motion sickness problem.

No. He was stomaching something much worse than a moving vehicle this time. He was watching Lisana—or more particularly, he was watching Lisana _and _Gray.

And that was his big problem.

They were together almost every waking hour. From the very moment they arrived at the guild right down to closing time. It seemed like everywhere Natsu turned all he saw was Lisana and Gray, Gray and Lisana—Lisana and _goddamnit_ Gray.

What he couldn't really understand was _why_. Sure they were friends and got along well, but that didn't mean they had to stick to one another like glue, which was _precisely_ what they were doing…much to Natsu's chagrin.

But… she was hanging out with _Gray_. Of all people—_Gray_!

There was obviously something very wrong with the world when somebody actually wanted to spend more than three seconds of their time with that bastard.

Then again, this was Lisana he was thinking about here. She was nice to everyone; that was just who she was. Natsu couldn't precisely begrudge her for something he had always liked and admired about her.

And maybe Natsu wouldn't have minded so much if Lisana hadn't suddenly stopped hanging out with him anymore. She used to come over to his place and just hang out with him and Happy all the time. Other times she'd make him take her to the lake, where they would often stay until the stars came out.

Those days had steadfastly dwindled to almost nothing now that she opted to spend all her free time with Gray; sitting with him, chatting with him, eating meals and sneaking off to God knows where with him.

It was enough for Natsu to want to break something… like Gray's jaw for example, or his arm—or just Gray in general. It felt like the other boy had just robbed him of something extremely vital to his life. His eyes instantly fell on Lisana as he thought this.

He was half-tempted to go over there and give the ice mage a good deck in the face and then some, but only decided against it when he spotted Erza strolling by. And as though she _knew_ he was up to something that most likely involved Gray and violence, she flashed him her trademark glare, which pretty much concluded the end of his life if he should so much as lay a finger on Gray.

For now, the only thing he could do was scowl, glare and muster up enough contempt for Gray as much as possible. Which wasn't difficult.

At the moment they were by the bar. Lisana was prepping something at the back, chatting away while Gray sat across from her waiting, listening; _patient_. Which was rare in and of itself because Gray was never one for long conversations. However, he didn't seem to mind so much when Lisana prattled endlessly—and Natsu knew her well enough to know that she did so on occasion. Gray was engrossed in her every word; not once had he even stopped to yawn or look elsewhere; he just sat there, listening and watching.

Lisana returned with a bowl of ice cream—Gray's favorite judging from his reaction—and a cheery smile.

The need to break Gray's jaw grew tenfold. Natsu didn't even understand _why_ he felt so annoyed with seeing them together. It wasn't as if they were purposefully harming anybody by hanging out with one another.

Unintentionally or not, Natsu was just annoyed by it. His stomach kept giving him ulcers from the way it kept clawing at his insides and his chest gave him more heartburn that he couldn't bring himself to eat fire anymore. The mixture made him even sicker than he felt when riding on the train. In fact, he'd _rather_ ride the friggin' train twice than sit one more day watching Gray and Lisana get chummy with each other.

It didn't help that he wasn't the only one in the guild who had noticed the sudden change between Gray and Lisana. Everyone did. And they talked.

And Natsu didn't like what they had to say either:

"Heh. Together again, huh? That Gray."

"Aww they're so cute together!"

"Can't blame Gray for making a move. Lisana's becoming more beautiful each time I see her."

And the worst one yet:

"Huh. I always thought she'd end up with Natsu."

Gray and Lisana weren't together—not like _that_, he thought vehemently, pushing down the trickle of dread that had managed to worm its way into his heart. There was just no way.

And yet what he was witnessing defied his logic to the contrary. It made him stop and think: _were_ they together? Like a… couple kind of together? Natsu didn't want to believe it despite the nagging seed of doubt nibbling away at this confidence.

As though fate had somehow heard him and wanted to be cruel, this happened: Lisana was now attempting to reach for something on the top shelf, but was having difficulty. Gray, who was much taller in comparison, came around and retrieved it for her; his chest barely brushing against her back and skin. Lisana turned around, offering the ice-mage a small, sheepish smile to show her gratitude and from this angle, Natsu can tell she was obviously embarrassed or nervous about something from the way her cheeks glowed soft pink.

And—

_They're standing way too close_, he thought, his eyes narrowing upon instinct. Lisana wasn't showing any signs of moving and neither was Gray. They were standing close, heads bowed and talking—it looked rather intimate from where he was sitting. And damnit, he wished Gray would step away from her… _far, far away from her_, Natsu thought distastefully. But to his dismay, no one moved. Not even an inch.

The tearing, acidic sensation in his stomach only intensified and his eyes burned blind with heat. His sense of doubt had branched out and clutched at his heart, squeezing so tightly that he could scarcely breathe. And if he were to allow himself to admit it, maybe he was even a little bit fearful of their closeness. Natsu felt this desperate need to rebel against it—to stop it somehow.

What was she _thinking_? He wondered, staring hard at Lisana's face, as if by doing so he could probe into her mind and find the answers. He was unsuccessful. But then again… girls were never easy to figure out, least of all Lisana. She could make his head spin just by sitting there. It was frustrating and confusing—and it was driving him mad because he couldn't understand why she'd chosen _Gray _when it was clear she could do so much better than that bastard.

There were far more… suitable guys out there she could choose from other than Gray, he thought firmly, although Natsu wasn't sure if he liked that idea any better than the former. Other guys with Lisana, making her laugh, seeing her smile… it was just—_no_. That was just as wrong as her being with Gray.

_Maybe you wouldn't be so against the idea if she was YOU instead_, said a voice in his head, making him stutter and choke and blush simultaneously.

_No, of course not_, he argued instantly. _I'm only looking out for her—protecting her_. Lisana was special to him in a lot of ways, so of course he wouldn't immediately warm up to the idea of her being with another guy. It was practical as her best _friend_ that he'd only want what's best for her.

However, he couldn't ignore the way his heart had spiked and the way his stomach had churned rather pleasantly in agreement to those words.

_Maybe I… _He shook his head. _No, that's not possible_. His eyes searched for Lisana, watched as she laughed and her lights dance in her blue eyes. _No_, he thought, again feeling his heart squeeze painfully, _she'd never… _

"Neh, Natsu," said Happy, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hm?" he replied, absently.

"What do you think of Gray and Lisana together?"

Natsu's shoulders immediately stiffened upon the mention and he looked to Happy.

"What do you mean?" he ventured, careful to keep his voice void of any particular interest.

The blue cat just shrugged. "Well, I hear Macao and Wakaba talking all the time," he said.

He feigned innocence, although he already had a sneaking suspicion where this was leading to already. "About?"

"Gray and Lisana, of course! As a _couple_," said Happy, whose smile was a little too wide along the edges when he emphasized that word, "Don't _you_ think they'd make a good couple, Natsu?" he asked.

_No_, came the automatic answer. Instead, he said, "W-Why should I care who that bastard goes out with?"

Happy raised a brow. "You don't care? Really?"

"Hell no," said Natsu, with more ferocity than was necessary.

"Even if it's with Lisana?" Happy asked, still with an air of surprise.

Natsu struggled for a minute, but clenched his fists and deliberately stomped to keep the feeling from cropping back up. _She'd never_… he thought again, and swallowed; burying that feeling deep.

"Yeah," he mumbled, but it didn't sound too convincing, even to his own ears. He pressed on. "It hasn't got anything to do with me."

_Lies_.

"She can be with whomever she likes."

_More lies_.

He was too busy brooding to hear Happy's heavy, almost exasperated sigh.

"Well, yeah, I suppose you're right. Gray _is_ pretty strong," Happy said, totally oblivious to the twitch on Natsu's right eye, "I bet he could protect Lisana easily."

Natsu froze.

Happy went on, seemingly unaware, "Lisana might not be around much anymore if she's with Gray all the time though. It's sad, but it's to be expected I guess." Happy looked at him pointedly. "But since you're _okay_ with it then maybe—"

Natsu felt something inside him snap. He slammed his fists onto the table and stood up abruptly. The look on his face was close to frightening.

"We'll just see about that," he growled and made for the bar; all the while, completely missing the wide, rather devilish smile that flitted its way onto Happy's face.

As he slowly approached the two, Natsu caught wisps of their conversation:

"Maybe we should tell someone about us—"

"No. I don't want them to know—especially Natsu. You know how he'll react—"

"…I… I guess."

"So you see why we should keep this quiet between us—"

"But Gray, we can't keep doing this forever you know. Sooner or later, we'll have to—"

"I _know_. Eventually, we will. But… not now. It's too soon."

"…I understand. But promise _me_ you won't say anything to Natsu about _that_ either. I… I don't want it to be awkward between us."

"Hey, you've kept it from him for this long… what makes you think he'll catch on _now_? Trust me… the guy doesn't suspect a thing."

"Just… promise me. _Please_."

"Alright. I promise."

Not wanting to hear and see any more of this, Natsu was between them in a flash; pressing Lisana firmly behind him and completely shielding her from Gray's view.

Lisana blinked up at him. "Natsu!" she said, voice startled, while at the same time, Gray growled, "Natsu, what are you—"

But Natsu had grabbed him by the scruffs of his shirt and dragged him forward so that they were now at eye-level with one another.

"Back off or I'll make you," Natsu snarled between his teeth, giving the other boy a look so fierce it'd be inconceivable for Gray not to take him seriously.

Gray, on the other hand, simply stared and said nothing, hardly affected or even surprised.

Natsu shoved him away, roughly, before grabbing Lisana by the hand and dragging her out the back, despite her protests.

As soon as they were outside, Lisana dug her heals into the ground and snatched her wrist back.

"What was all that about?" she demanded, rubbing at her hands. "Why did you do that to Gray—"

He whirled around, almost bumping noses with her. "What exactly is going on between you and Gray?" he cut in, sharply.

Lisana blinked rapidly. "What?" she said.

"You and Gray," he gritted. "What are you two hiding?"

It took a moment for Lisana to understand what he was getting at, and when she did she immediately looked defensive; weary.

"We're not hiding anything," she said, although the twitch on her facial expression was enough of a giveaway.

"You're lying," he said flatly.

Her face hardened. "It's not any of your business," she said firmly, crossing her arms.

"Well, I'm _making_ it my business," he shot back. He knew he was being unreasonable, but Lisana was proving to be just as stubborn—if not more.

Lisana's mouth dropped just a little. "You… you have no right," she whispered, voice shaking.

"Why?" said Natsu, starting to get fed up now. "You think I can't take it, is that it?"

"What are you getting so angry for?" she said indignantly. "This hasn't got anything to do with you!"

"Yes it has! Stop taking me for an idiot!" he snapped.

"I'm _not_," she retorted heatedly, her cheeks getting redder and redder. Lisana hardly ever got angry, but when she did the resemblance between her and her sister were striking. She poked him in the chest. "You're the one who's being the jerk right now! And you had no right to push Gray like that!"

Natsu didn't back down. "So _I'm_ the jerk now?" he flung back, incensed that she was taking Gray's side and still not giving him answers. "You two are the ones who are keeping secrets about me!"

Confusion and irritation bled into the blueness of her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I heard the two of you talking," he sniped. "'I don't want it to be awkward between us' and 'trust me… the guy doesn't suspect a thing'? Does that ring any bells?"

Lisana blinked a little as she registered this; her face went as white as her hair and her already wide blue eyes grew wider. "You heard that? That wasn't—that's nothing," she stuttered, her voice small.

"You're lying again, Lisana," he said, taking another step closer to her. "You think I'll react badly and make things awkward between us, is that right?" His shoulders sagged; he didn't feel so angry anymore, just tired. Very tired. "Give me some credit will you?"

She kept her eyes at ground-level. "Why… why do you want to know so badly?" she whispered. "Did… did somebody say something?" Her voice revealed a bit of her fears.

"No," he said. "I … just want to know the truth."

She didn't say anything nor did she make eye-contact with him. The sight made him immediately back off.

He looked away. "Look. If … if there's something going on between you and Gray… if you really… if you really like the bastard," at this, he glared at the ground for a good ten seconds before forcing himself to continue, "…if he really means that much to you then… then I'll do my best to support you." The words felt like paste and barbed wires in his throat. "I mean… if he makes you happy then I won't—"

_I won't interfere_…

Lisana made a choking sound at the back of her throat. "W-What?" she said, sounding truly taken back right now. "Wait a minute…so you weren't talking about that? You were thinking… you mean you… that _me_ and _Gray_…that _we_…" She could barely string the rest of her words together, but Natsu had to give her credit; the level of incredulity she could muster onto one facial feature was impressive.

"Yeah. You two are… a couple right?" he said, his voice sounding heavy and bitter. "That's why you two are always together and sneaking off…"

Lisana just gapped. "You seriously think me and Gray… are …_really_?"

"Uh… yeah?" He was starting to get confused now; maybe a little exasperated. How could she still act so surprised by this? "Everyone else has noticed it too, not just me. I mean," his expression dropped and his voice was weary, "You guys aren't exactly discreet about it you know…"

"Oh no. No, no, no, no," Lisana groaned, burying her face into her hands.

"So… it's true then," Natsu murmured, his heart dropping.

He did his best to force a smile from somewhere, keep his face neutral—_anything_, but he could hardly gather the effort or the enthusiasm to do so. He just felt _empty_.

"I'm happy for you," he said, managing a fleeting smile. "Gray's one lucky guy then."

_And I was too late_, he thought, swallowing.

Lisana made another noise—both a sigh and… was that laughter?

"Natsu," she said, and this time there was a smile on her face, "there's nothing going on between me and Gray."

It was Natsu's turn to blink. Did he hear wrong? "Come again?"

She shook her head. "We're not like that. We _never_ were," she said, making it a point to emphasize. "We're _just_ friends."

Now, he really was confused. "You mean you're not… _really_?"

She pressed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing, but the amusement was evident in her eyes.

"_Really_."

He could feel himself starting to smile, relieved, but something else was eating away at him. "Then… why all the secrecy?"

Lisana sighed. "Gray," she began, shaking her head, "got kicked out of his apartment because his superintendant got fed up with him stripping all the time."

"Gray got…?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was just heading home at the time when I found him out in the streets, so I offered to help him find a new place. He's been helping me at the guild for extra money. And the reason why he doesn't want to tell anyone—especially _you_—was because he knew you'd make fun of him for it if you found out…" She looked like she wanted to do another eye-roll, but was doing her best to resist the urge.

Natsu just blinked as he digested this new piece of information. "Oh, wow…" he said, still dumfounded. "Really… that's what's been going on?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she said, and she frowned. "Did you really think Gray and I were sneaking around just to be together?"

Now that the truth was out in the open, Natsu felt the right to be ashamed of himself. His behavior was inexcusable. He'd been a _jerk_—albeit a very confused and frustrated jerk, but a jerk nonetheless.

"I… yeah. I'm sorry," he mumbled. He looked at her, brows crinkled. "But you're not, right? Not together I mean." Because he wanted to be sure—for his sake. He didn't want to wake up the next day and find out it'd all been his imagination.

"No, Natsu. Gray and I aren't like that," she said and when he sighed, reassured, her cheeks burned red again. "Why… did it bother you?" she said, sounding a little hopeful now. "Did seeing me with Gray really bother you that much? Is that why you took me out here?"

He struggled for a moment, but then opted for the truth. "Yeah… it bothered me," he admitted, feeling his own face heat up. He expelled a breath. "It bothered me a lot. I felt _weird_… seeing the two of you together; like I was about to be sick or go insane…or both." He took another deep breath and glanced down. "I didn't really understand why I felt that way or why. All I knew was that I didn't want you to be with him…" Another expelled breath and then, "Or with any other guy for that matter."

Lisana's eyes widened slightly but she looked down and bit her lip; she kept unclasping and clasping her hands. "…w-were you jealous of Gray?" she finally asked, voice so soft it was almost impossible to hear. But he heard her, loud and clear.

Natsu paused to consider this and realized… he _had_ been jealous—so very jealous that he'd been blinded by it. All the reasons why he'd detested Gray (more than usual) and disliked all possibilities of a potential relationship between him and Lisana… was because he'd been _jealous_ of him; was because, deep down, he'd always wanted Lisana to be with _him_… and no one else.

"Yes," he found himself breathing out. He looked at her directly. "I was." It was no sense denying it any longer. His feelings were already out in the open.

She cast her eyes downward. "I see," she said quietly before shaking her head and sighing heavily. "Oh, Natsu, you're such an idiot."

"_What_?" His face looked comically flabbergasted. "What do you—I don't—hey, I'm practically pouring out my feelings to you here and you're calling me an _idiot_?"

"Yes," she said, and giggled when he pouted at her. The corners of her lips lifted into the smallest of smiles. "How could you ever think there was anything between me and Gray when all this time… I've been with _you_?"

Natsu felt his breath hitch in his throat. "You mean—"

"Yes," she said again, her cheeks as red as tomato by this point. "It's _you_." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ears and met his gaze shyly. "It's always been you, Natsu. No one else."

He couldn't stop staring at her; he could feel his heart starting to pick up speed until it was pounding in his ears. _Any moment now_, he thought, _any moment I'm going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream_…

He didn't wake up and Lisana was still standing before him, a blushing mess and weak smiles. He thought… she'd never looked more beautiful.

"Gray knew how I felt," she went on softly, "…so I made a deal to help him if he would agree to keep my feelings a secret." She looked down again. "That's why… I didn't want you to know… because I didn't want to make it be awkward between us… because you're my best friend and I didn't… I didn't think you'd ever—I just—"

Natsu kissed her.

He didn't know what possessed him to do it, only that his body had moved on its own accord; hands reaching out to cup her face and brushing his lips over her own—sealing a kiss that felt like he'd been waiting to do his whole life. Lisana froze upon the contact, but then quickly melted into him; shaky hands latching tightly onto the front of his shirt and tugging him closer.

And he was lost to her; lost to the feel of her mouth moving against his, the soft sighs echoing in his ears and the warmth of her skin brushing his. He kissed her harder, nearly scooping her off the ground, but she didn't mind; she just held him tighter, as if not wanting to ever let go.

When they finally pulled apart, she was breathless; lips bruised and face flushed and _his_. Natsu wanted to kiss her again, but resisted. Instead he just held her, his hands at her waist while she shyly fiddled with the ends of his scarf.

"So…" he said, feeling his heart squeeze tightly—but for different reasons this time other than pain. He felt… happy. Too happy.

"So…" she said.

They both fell quiet before bursting into laughter. Natsu could barely contain the ridiculously idiotic smile that had managed to seep its way onto his face.

"I guess that clears up everything," he said sheepishly.

"I guess it does," she said, but then her brows scrunched together. "Does this mean we're…? I mean, do you really feel…"

He squeezed her, reassuringly. "Yeah," he said, his eyes softening. "It's always been you too."

Lisana blushed. "Oh," she said, evidently pleased. "Okay."

"I mean… do you want to…" he started, fumbling. He'd never done this before. But they were already passed the point of no return, and to be honest, he didn't want to go back. "I mean… I'm willing to give this a shot… if you are."

It was her turn to reassure him. She smiled. "I'd like that too," she said and it was all the answer he needed.

Overjoyed, he leaned in to kiss her again, but before he could do so, she pressed a finger over his lips to stop him.

"But first," she said, brightly, and there was something fishy about the way she kept trying to stop herself from laughing. "I think you owe Gray an apology."

It took Natsu several long minutes to register this and another extended pause for him to realize she was _right_. It then took only a few seconds for him to come up with the appropriate response:

"Aw crap."


End file.
